Behind Stowe WA L N U T H I L L S C H O O L F O R T H E A R T S
Spring & Summer 2014
From Past to Present: Celebrating 120 Years of Growth and Partnerships
Volume 4 Number 1
Behind Stowe WA L N U T H I L L S C H O O L F O R T H E A R T S
Spring & Summer 2014
Volume 4 Number 1
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2 FEATURE
In Good Company: Partnering for Success
Matthew Lorello Marketing Communications Associate DEVELOPMENT OFFICE Bruce Smith Chief Development Officer Jennifer TumSuden Director of Annual Giving Jillian Kohl Director of Alumni Relations Isabel Holmes Development Associate EDITORIAL TEAM Judy Kiviat Editorial Assistant Betsy Blazar Design
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A NOTE FROM STOWE
CLASS NOTES
SEEN ON THE HILL
7 ALUMNI PROFILE
Lola Fortmiller Baldwin ’51: How to Embrace Something New
8 120TH ANNIVERSARY
PHOTOGRAPHY Scott Bump Coffee Pond David Elmes Liza Voll
Walnut Hill: A Retrospective Celebrating 120 Years
14 A YEAR IN REVIEW
A Look Back at a Year of Art Making
24 LOOKING FORWARD
Forging Ahead: Life After the Hill
26 GALA
Visiting Artists and Master Classes
34 ALUMNI WEEKEND
38 GRADUATION
40 SEEN OFF THE HILL
Students and Faculty Hit the Road
30 MEET OUR NEW TRUSTEES © 2014 Walnut Hill School for the Arts. All rights reserved. Published by Walnut Hill School for the Arts, 12 Highland Street, Natick, MA 01760-2199 (tel) 508.653.4312 (fax) 508.653.9593 | Please send change of address to events@walnuthillarts.org
www.youtube.com/walnuthillschool | www.facebook.com/walnuthill | www.walnuthillarts.org | 508.653.4312
A NOTE FROM STOWE
Over a Century of Bold Thinking
David Elmes
In her book The Creative Habit, dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp suggests, “Our ability to grow is directly proportional to an ability to entertain the uncomfortable.“ When I take a moment to consider her words, I can see how that correlation has played out at Walnut Hill. We have named growth as a core value, and it’s easy to see the School’s growth over the past 120 years. Each development—from becoming a coeducational arts school, to expanding curricular offerings in film and new media, to preparing for construction of our new multi-arts performance space—was made possible by a willingness to take risks. And risks by their very nature can be uncomfortable. This May, in his twentieth year as Director of Theater at Walnut Hill, Joe Cabral chose to produce the contemporary rock musical Spring Awakening. The musical is an adaptation of a controversial expressionist play written in 1891, just two years before Walnut Hill’s founding. A departure from the musicals that typically grace the Keiter stage, Spring Awakening gave our student actors the chance to play teenagers grappling with some very tough issues, including abuse, the exploration of love and sexuality, and suicide. The production was a success, showcasing the talent and maturity of our students and the skill and sensitivity of our faculty. But beyond the pride I felt when joining the audience in exuberant applause, I was equally inspired by the way our community embraced the challenging themes of the show. We didn’t shy away from the hard conversations, but viewed them as an opportunity to grow. The confidence to push boundaries has led Walnut Hill to become the innovative arts school it is today, yet we aren’t content to remain stagnant in our success. This spring, thanks to the visionary thinking of Director of Dance Michael Owen, we announced a new strategic alliance with The Boston Conservatory. Beginning next year, our dancers will have the opportunity to be selected for a new-three year B.F.A. in Dance at the Conservatory, available exclusively to Walnut Hill students. In this issue, you will read more about how this and other organizational partnerships benefit students’ experiences and prepare them for future endeavors. You’ll also explore more than a century of bold thinking and see images of our thriving community making art, learning, and coming together to support Walnut Hill’s mission. Thank you for being our partner on this exciting and never-ending journey.
Antonio Viva Head of School Spring & Summer 2014
Behind Stowe | 1
IN GOOD COMPANY: PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS by Amanda Grazioli
W
ith a firm dedication to both excellence and growth woven throughout the fabric of our institution, it makes perfect sense that from the 1890s to the present day, Walnut Hill has fostered strategic partnerships with outstanding organizations of higher learning. Head of School Antonio Viva reflects, “It’s remarkable to note that in every instance like this, both partners gain something valuable from the relationship—a proverbial win-win. And that ultimately results in the most important win of all, the one that yields benefits for our students, families, and communities that could not be replicated in any other way.ˮ
HITTING A HIGHER NOTE
Our birth as an institution was prompted by former President of Wellesley College Helen Shafer, who encouraged her friends Florence Bigelow and Charlotte Conant—both Wellesley graduates—to found Walnut Hill. In those early years, the School’s ties to neighboring Wellesley College were manifested in many ways. Girls from Walnut Hill would attend Monday night symphony concerts at Wellesley, as well as lectures and other events. This artistic and cultural enrichment gave Walnut Hill students an introduction to a college that many of them would later go on to attend. Walnut Hill’s OPPOSITE Students in the Teen Theater Intensive
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FEATURE
proximity to Boston offered an abundance of advantages as well, as students made routine visits to the city to attend concerts, enjoy the Museum of Fine Arts, or experience historically significant sites such as the State House and Old South Church. As the decades rolled on and Walnut Hill transformed from a single-sex preparatory school into a coeducational arts school, the needs of Walnut Hill students also shifted. While the arts had always been present and valued, they were suddenly front and center. As prodigious young dancers, writers, visual artists, thespians, and musicians joined the student body, the School quickly earned a reputation as a leader in arts education. We established affiliations with nearby bastions of the arts world, including New England Conservatory (NEC), Boston Ballet, the Charles Playhouse, and others. Eventually, the caliber of our first cohorts of music students led to an even deeper affiliation with NEC that celebrates 30 years of existence in 2015: the New England Conservatory at Walnut Hill program. New England Conservatory is widely recognized as one of the premier institutions of music education in
PARTNERING WITH: THE
the country and counts among its faculty such talented musicians as violinist Donald Weilerstein, violist Kim Kashkashian, cellist Laurence Lesser, and many others. Stephanie Perrin, who served as Head of School at Walnut Hill from 1984 to 2008, recalls what partnering with this renowned conservatory meant for the School: “During my first year as Head of School, Walnut Hill was just beginning to fully formulate what it meant to be a school for the arts. When NEC Prep’s Youth Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Benjamin Zander and then Dean of NEC Prep Mark Churchill approached Walnut Hill that year with an agreement to proceed with the NEC at Walnut Hill partnership, we had just seven music majors enrolled. Because of the partnership, Walnut Hill was able to offer a far richer and more comprehensive music program than it would have been able to provide on its own. This affiliation with NEC, and with distinguished educator and conductor Benjamin Zander, who served as the first Artistic Director, gained Walnut Hill almost instant credibility as a serious school for the arts, making it much easier to then develop a full program in each of the individual arts disciplines.ˮ NEC at Walnut Hill is the only program in the United
CENTER FOR ARTS IN NATICK (TCAN) Walnut Hill’s commitment to the world’s next generation of artists and creative thinkers goes beyond the education we offer our high school and summer students. Our proximity to beloved regional arts provider The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) has led to a partnership that has already begun to play out in exciting ways. Together with TCAN, Walnut Hill offers biannual sessions of a Teen Theater Intensive. The
six-session class has become an ideal next step for youth who have taken drama classes at TCAN or elsewhere and are looking to further develop their musical theater, acting, and singing abilities. Walnut Hill’s annual children’s show tours to TCAN each winter, giving families in the community another opportunity to experience a performance together. TCAN Executive Director David Lavalley is pleased to be working with Walnut Hill, an organization he considers to be a vital contributor to arts, culture, and business throughout Natick and the surrounding region. And as Walnut Hill continues to develop its roster of film and media offerings, TCAN is undergoing a campaign to raise the funds necessary to create a new state-of-the-art digital screening room on the second floor of its facility. We can’t wait to see what possibilities emerge as these two parallel initiatives unfold.
Spring & Summer 2014
Behind Stowe | 3
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and universities to help our students attain trial lessons, prepare for summer program auditions, and navigate the process. By working one-on-one with world-class musicians, our students also get a window into the world of professional music and that experiential learning opportunity that is absolutely priceless as they venture beyond Walnut Hill.ˮ
By working one-on-one with world-class musicians, our students also get a window into the world of professional music and that experiential learning opportunity that is absolutely priceless as they venture beyond Walnut Hill.
It is no surprise that recent music graduates have continued on to study at colleges and conservatories of distinction, including Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, Curtis School of Music, Carnegie Mellon University, Yale University, Oberlin College and Conservatory, and other notables. Walnut Hillʼs Director of College Counseling, Sarah Lovely, explains how the School's connection to NEC is an essential part of the college admission process for our musicians: “The teachers at NEC equip students with the technical skills to refine their musicality and excel in auditions and prescreenings. Beyond that, though, I am always impressed with how graciously the teachers leverage their relationships with faculty at conservatories
A PAIR OF PATHS FOR DANCERS
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States that links a major conservatory and an independent school. It allows Walnut Hill music students to study with NEC Prep or NEC faculty, many of whom are members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Students also participate in NEC’s renowned youth ensembles and perform regularly at NEC’s Jordan Hall, one of the world’s best concert halls and an officially designated National Historic Landmark. Traveling to Boston weekly, students are exposed to the rich music scene, while NEC’s youth ensembles benefit from our influx of driven, talented young artists.
Our musicians don’t get to have all the fun, though. The Walnut Hill Dance Department has just established two institutional partnerships that will give students a pair of very different, but equally incredible, options to consider after graduation, all while enhancing the education they receive during their years on the Hill. The seeds of one of these relationships were actually planted in June 2013, the first summer that Walnut Hill hosted the American Ballet Competition (ABC) on campus. The central goal of this competition is to promote
TWO WORLD-CLASS ORGANIZATIONS. ONE UNPARALLELED OPPORTUNITY. THE BOSTON CONSERVATORY AND WALNUT HILL SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE A NEW PARTNERSHIP IN THE AREA OF DANCE. After building a strong academic and Liza Voll Photography
artistic foundation at Walnut Hill, students will have the opportunity to participate in a new degree program at The Boston Conservatory, in which they will earn a B.F.A. in Dance in three years. Available exclusively to Walnut Hill students, this program is part of Boston Conservatory’s new Conservatory College, a unique constellation of non-traditional degree programs.
LEFT Music students practicing in Boswell, 1999 RIGHT Walnut Hill and Boston Conservatory’s joint advertisement, annoucning our new partnership, from the June/July issue of Pointe Magazine
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:
bostonconservatory.walnuthillarts.org
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PARTNERING WITH: NEW ART
CENTER
Just east of Natick is the New Art Center in Newton, a nonprofit arts center that offers classes, workshops, a signature Curatorial Opportunity Program, and a midsized gallery exhibition space. Together with the New Art Center, Walnut Hill offers a three-week Summer Visual Art Program for students in grades 7–12. “The New Art Center has long had a reputation for fantastic visual art programs serving the Boston area, and we at Walnut Hill are really excited about our continued work with them this summer,ˮ says Walnut Hill Director of Visual Art Jim Woodside. The program, now in its second year, combines Walnut Hill’s studio facilities with instruction by the accomplished faculty of the New Art Center in areas such as ceramics, mixed media, drawing, and painting. At the end of the session, curators from the center offer students guidance as they design and hang their very own show in Walnut Hill’s Pooke Gallery. ABOVE RIGHT Summer Visual Art students sketch outside.
artistic and technical growth of all participants through master classes with international guest teachers, coaching sessions, and opportunities to be viewed by professional dance directors while competing for traineeships and other prizes. Like the ripples of a pebble tossed into a still pond, the effects of Walnut Hill’s relationship with ABC led to yet another fantastic development. Michelle Martin, Associate Artistic Director of Ballet Austin, attended the competition that summer and spent some time in conversation with Walnut Hill Director of Dance Michael Owen. It didn’t take long before together they arrived at this core concept, “If we want the arts to survive in this world, we must partner.ˮ Since Martin and Owen’s initial conversation, Ballet Austin and Walnut Hill have established a new kind of affiliation in which the two organizations will share faculty, choreography, and resources. Walnut Hill students will have the chance to be identified for spots in the Ballet Austin’s Spring & Summer 2014
two-year trainee program; in fact, Martin recruited three students on the spot during a visit in February 2014. In the coming school year, Martin will return to campus to teach and set a piece of choreography, created by Ballet Austin’s Artistic Director Stephen Millis, on Walnut Hill dancers to perform at the School’s Spring Repertory in 2015. “Down the line, a few years from now we hope to get to the point where we can take our students to Austin for a few days of Spring Break to give the company a feel for each student and allow the students to take some classes with the company,ˮ explains Owen. The key to this relationship’s bright future is in large part the compatibility of the philosophies of Ballet Austin and Walnut Hill. Each organization is devoted to training students both as dancers and as citizens, fostering each individual’s wellness and growth. While moving directly on to train with a dance company might be the right choice for some Walnut Hill Behind Stowe | 5
students, others hope to continue their studies in a more academic setting, like The Boston Conservatory, internationally recognized for innovation in teaching, celebrating, and promoting the visibility of the performing arts. This May, The Boston Conservatory and Walnut Hill formalized a strategic alliance that will result in a
The alliance will also result in the sharing of faculty and choreographers across the schools, as well as performances of the two schools. Cathy Young, Director of The Boston Conservatory’s Dance Division, is as excited as Walnut Hill about the new association, noting, “Walnut Hill students are amazing! We have a number
brand-new joint program to begin in the fall of 2015. After building a strong academic and artistic foundation at Walnut Hill, students will have the opportunity to participate in a new degree program at The Boston Conservatory, in which they will earn a B.F.A. in Dance in three years.
of current Conservatory students who are Walnut Hill alumni, and all of them are involved and leaders in the community. And they do well in both their arts and their academic classes.“
Available exclusively to Walnut Hill students, the Boston Conservatory–based program is one of the only programs of its kind and will offer students an incredibly unique study possibility at a distinguished institution.
Young’s observation has been echoed by numerous faculty, college admissions officers, and others who meet young alumni from Walnut Hill, and it’s surely no coincidence that Walnuts go on to be successful in their pursuits. By exposing them to high-caliber organizations such as The Boston Conservatory, Ballet Austin, and New England Conservatory, we are introducing a new element to students’ rigorous arts and academic curricula. These partnerships provide Walnut Hill students with unparalleled instruction, access to masters both here on our campus and off, and the confidence and connections necessary to dream bigger, reach farther, and emerge from their time on the Hill well prepared to take on whatever new challenges lie ahead. ♦
TOP LEFT: Sam Kurkjian teaching a level 4 ballet class TOP RIGHT: Opera Master Class with Patti Thom in Amelia Hall LEFT Antonio Viva, Head of School and Richard Ortner, President of The Boston Conservatory, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (inset) 6 | Behind Stowe
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ALUMNI P R O FI LE
Lola Fortmiller Baldwin ’51: How to Embrace Something New by Bruce Smith
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oday, we take for granted that Walnut Hill provides superior training in the disciplines of creative writing, dance, music, theater, and visual art. The process of becoming an internationally recognized school for arts training took many years, and there were a few false starts. (For more, please see the article on page 2.) One of the key persons who played a role in that process was alumna Lola Fortmiller Baldwin ’51, who headed up fundraising efforts from 1989 to 2001 and was instrumental in the success of three Capital Campaigns. Lola attended Walnut Hill from 1949 to 1951, and her ability to engage alumnae from that era was essential in securing the support necessary to build the programs that would serve Walnut Hill students so well. The late 1940s and the 1950s marked a period of stability and growth at Walnut Hill. Arts and sports thrived side by side, with the Polar and Tiger sports activities at their height (a tradition revived today as a campus-wide competition by
Alumnae from that era, who attended the School before the social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s, might have been forgiven for feeling estranged from their alma mater as it emerged with a changed identity and focus in the ʼ70s. Yet Lola’s embrace of the change persuaded many that it was not only worthwhile, but a wonderful new beginning. She was initially drawn back to Walnut Hill because of former Head of School Stephanie Perrin, Trustee Wendy Wheeler, and Bob Keiter—a galvanizing trio if ever there was one—and, she says, “I fell in love with Walnut Hill all over again.ˮ Even more impressively, she helped others fall in love with it again too.
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where young people could thrive in pursuing their passions. Lola started the Board of Visitors, which brought many alumni as well as new friends back to campus, and she spearheaded the Centennial Campaign that culminated in a groundbreaking ceremony in May 1993 for the new Jane Oxford Keiter Center for the Performing Arts. Lola has continued to work diligently on behalf of Walnut Hill even after her final, full retirement in 2007. As a fundraiser, Lola played a crucial role in securing early major support for Walnut Hill in three Capital Campaigns. She created and is a charter member of the Ellison Circle, Walnut Hill’s planned giving society. She established professional protocols in the Development Office that we continue to use today. The first Gala ran under her watch as a way to raise funds and friends. Perhaps most importantly, she has been a mentor and friend both to Martha Kleinman, Dean for External Relations from 2001 to 2010, and to myself
Lola attended Walnut Hill from 1949 to 1951, and her ability to engage alumnae from that era was essential in securing the support necessary to build the programs that would serve Walnut Hill students so well.
Lola connected the past with the present by championing the continued excellence of the academic program, but also by emphasizing that what was happening at Walnut Hill in the early 1990s was akin to what had happened in the 1890s: in both eras, visionary leadership had created a unique educational environment
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Community Council President Emily Kessler ’14 and Vice President Emily Place ’14). The academics were strong enough to enable Walnut Hill students to attend outstanding liberal arts colleges such as Smith and Wellesley. In fact, it was an admissions officer at Smith who recommended Walnut Hill to Lola’s mother.
as the current Chief Development Officer and the writer of this article. Without her wit, wisdom, and insight into Walnut Hill and development, the work of this office would be far more challenging, less fun, and ultimately, less successful. ♦
ABOVE Lola Fortmiller Baldwin at Gala 2013 Spring & Summer 2014
Behind Stowe | 7
120TH ANNIVERSARY
Walnut Hill: A Retrospective Celebrating 120 Years by Isabel Holmes
J
ust before the creation of Walnut Hill School in 1893, women’s education was still a young but rapidly growing field. When Wellesley
its own classes that fall. But slowly, students continued to enroll, and by the spring of 1894, 23 students made up the School and a class of
College students Charlotte Conant and Florence Bigelow realized that as many as 90 young women were being turned down each year from their “daughterˮ preparatory school, Dana Hall, they began to think about opening their own school for young ladies. With support from their parents and guidance from Dana Hall’s principals, they purchased the land and original buildings that first became Walnut Hill. After facing enrollment challenges during the economic depression known as the “Panic of 1893,ˮ their classes were sparse, with only 7 students signed up by July. Even Dana Hall did not have enough students to fill
8 graduated at the first commencement. The character of the School was established, with the very first Walnuts exhibiting the loyalty, inter-
ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Students in Study Hall, 1941; studying in Amelia; Community Council in front of Pooke Memorial Hall, 1988; groundbreaking of the Keiter Center, 1994 8 | Behind Stowe
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grew to include English, mathematics, Latin, French, German, history, chemistry, Bible study, and harmony. Private lessons in voice, violin, piano,
social dancing, and cooking were also available, and girls could attend the theater or opera twice in a term, demonstrating an early commitment
. . . we’re bursting at the seams in terms of arts spaces, and our programs are capable of significant growth, if given the room.
est, and enthusiasm still demonstrated by our students today. In 1916, the School was incorporated as an educational nonprofit, and by the 1920s the School had expanded to 90 boarding students plus a few day scholars, and the campus included Stowe Hall, Highland Hall, Eliot Hall, and Bacon House. The grounds offered a tennis court, hockey field, clubhouse, and gymnasium. The course of study
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to arts and culture long before it became a part of our official mission. The 1930s brought about change on campus as the School adjusted to a reduced number of students during the Great Depression and saw the retirement of founder Florence Bigelow in 1933. Walnut Hill weathered these changes with strength and continued to be a place of excellent education for young women through
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the 1950s and 1960s, fostering intense pride among the students of that era. In 1970, Head of School Earle Batchelder reflected on some of the recent events in the United States. America was at war in Vietnam, the Great Penn Railroad had gone bankrupt, and the country would
soon be shaken by Watergate and the subsequent resignation of President Richard Nixon. Batchelder commented at the time, “Tuition costs are over the $3,000 mark and a number of parents may feel the pinch in that their costs are increasing while their own incomes remain relatively static.ˮ The Board of Trustees considered a number of options during this time to combat the economic and enrollment challenges the School faced, including the potential of merging with a number of other independent schools in the area, but settled on the idea of switching to an arts-focused mission to provide intensive arts training in addition to the strong academic program. In 1971, the School announced the new mission, and the first glimmer of our modern-day arts program was born. The transition to becoming both an
Spring & Summer 2014
arts institution and a coeducational school was a gradual change that came to fruition over many years: the first male student was admitted to Walnut Hill in 1979, and the arts curriculum originally included gymnastics and ice skating but not creative writing, which was added in 1991. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the School took the arts
minor improvements to the campus, we’re bursting at the seams in terms of arts spaces, and our programs are capable of doing significantly more, if given the space to grow. We are poised at a historic moment in Walnut Hill’s journey. With the addition of a digital arts and media department that will house our first new major in 20 years, our commitment
program to the next level, continuing to adapt and take creative risks to meet the needs of a growing student body in a changing world. In preparation for the Centennial in 1993, the School set out on its first modern Capital Campaign, Our Place on the Hill, with a goal of raising $6 million over five years. When that goal was met, the funds were used to provide improved facilities for the arts program, the centerpiece of which was the construction of the Jane Oxford Keiter Center for the Performing Arts.
to partnerships with such institutions as TCAN and Boston Conservatory, the decision to become an allSteinway School, and our fundraising efforts for a spectacular new multi-arts teaching and performance space, so many amazing things are happening on the Hill every day. We hope you will stay tuned for more exciting announcements about our next steps. There’s no better time to be a Walnut! ♦
It has now been 20 years since the Centennial Campaign and the completion of Keiter. In that time, we’ve weathered yet another economic recession, but our student body and their achievements have continued to grow nonetheless. Though we have built a new dorm, revamped the Campus Center, and made many Behind Stowe | 9
CLASS NOTES
Class Notes at Walnut Hill Submit Class Notes online at walnuthillarts.org/alumni or email alumni@walnuthillarts.org. We love including your photos in Class Notes. Photos should be at least 300 dpi and no less than 5 inches wide. Please feel free to contact us with
Florida. She looks forward to visiting Walnut Hill this coming summer, after a few years away. Judy encourages all members of the Class of 1975 to get excited for their 40-year Reunion next May!
1980
LAURIE ROOP SINGLETARY
performed this winter as Professor Dunne in the Fresh Ink Theatre
Company production of Handicapping at the Factory Theatre in Boston
1988
JUSTINE HAND was at West Elm in Fenway in November along with Julie Carlson, editor in chief of the Remodelista blog, to promote the Remodelista book, featuring Justine’s Cape cottage as
questions . . . we want to make sure your photos look terrific.
1989 As a top-tier Realtor and 1955
ELLEN VAN ALSTYNE STARRATT is now living in
California’s Orange County, having moved from San Francisco in 2002 to be near her three children and nine grandchildren, who live in Pasadena, Santa Monica, and Laguna Niguel. She and husband Dick miss the City by the Bay but are enjoying the warmer weather and the proximity to their children. Ellen writes: “Because of the move, I retired and this prompted me to start some new activities. Currently, I am chair of several committees in my community, play tennis five days a week and am on the Senior 3 team, volunteer with Hospice, am in a Ladies Small Chorus, help take care of grandchildren when needed, and pursue my new love—oil painting. I started about six years ago and have filled my walls to
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the point that there is no room left. Dick and I have been doing a lot of traveling to ̒Far Away Places with Strange-Sounding Names.ʼ Our last trip was to Prague, and then a Danube River boat cruise to Nuremberg, Vienna, Budapest, and stops in between. It has been a fascinating time and I have learned so much about the world, especially the nonEuropean countries. I plan to be at our 60th Reunion in 2015 and hope to see many of you there. If I can travel 3,000 miles to see you all, I’m sure you can be there too!ˮ
fitness guru in the Boston area, Melinda Davala Sarkis has received much acclaim in 2014 for her versatility. In early March, she won two prestigious awards in Boston. Melinda was featured as one of “Boston’s Top 20 Realtors“ and number one of “Boston’s 9 Biggest Fitness Personalities of the Year.“ Congratulations, Melinda!
1975
Jillian Kohl and Antonio Viva enjoyed a lovely dinner with JUDY SMITH BOND in Pompano Beach, FL, this winter. Judy splits her time between Indiana and
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well as many other stellar properties.
1989
A trilingual (English, French, Italian) American national and French resident, AUDRA SHALLAL received degrees in international business and international economics from the American University of Paris (AUP), her M.B.A. at École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC), and her D.E.A. degree in strategic management at the Sorbonne. Currently founder and managing director of an international strategic management firm, she has over 10 years of experience in management, development, and marketing planning in a wide range of industry sectors. She consults for international organizations, gives conferences, and teaches undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral courses in her areas of expertise. Besides being involved in the promotion of women entrepreneurs, she is increasing awareness of Women Business Angels in the MENA
(Middle East and North Africa) region and is an accredited mentor for the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and the BiD Network. Audra, a former professional classical ballet dancer, also continues to pursue performing arts initiatives.
1990
ALLISON PERRY IANTOSCA
was recognized by the Boston Globe in November 2013 as heading one of the top 100 womenled businesses in Massachusetts.
1997
Student and Faculty Accomplishments ABOVE Emily Gannett ’98
1998
Lucky magazine called EMILY GANNETT one of “The 25 Most Stylish Women in Tech,“ while Marie Claire named Emily to its New Guard, a list honoring the most connected women in America. CHARLIE HODGES and the L.A. Dance Project were featured in the Huffington Post for the company’s residency at the Ace Hotel last February.
1999
Proenza Schouler is at it again—the design powerhouse has teamed up with MAC to create a new makeup line! Congrats to the brand’s cofounders, JACK MCCOLLOUGH and Lazaro Hernandez.
LEFT Duncan McCullough, son of Jordan McCullough ’94, after seeing The Nutcracker at Walnut Hill Spring & Summer 2014
Notes from the Hill
RUBY MACDOUGALL is a graduate student in dance ethnology and Asian studies at the University of Hawaii. In February, she danced a lead role in a performance by the visiting Beijing Opera. She was also translating for the opera company members while they were in Hawaii. WHITNEY TENNEY graduated with an M.F.A. in television, film, and theater (with a performance concentration) from California State University, Los Angeles, in June 2013. Since then, Whitney reports that she and some fellow graduates have started a production
Violist Chris Rogers-Beadle ’15 won the Boston Civic Symphony’s 2014 James R. Powers Concerto Competition. In addition, he won First Place in Category C (ages 15–16) of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School’s Concerto Competition, and won First Place in the 2014 Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, taking home the Cornelius A. & Muriel P. Wood Award. Juree Kim ’14 received an honorable mention in Category D (ages 17+) of New England Conservatory Preparatory School’s Concerto Competition. Cellist Drake Driscoll ’14 was selected for the Conductors Choice Award at the Jeanne Selander Memorial Concerto Competition and given the opportunity to solo with the Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra this spring. Eight film, cinematography, and media arts students from Walnut Hill were chosen as finalists for the Williston Northampton School Film Festival in Easthampton, MA. Mia Aibel-Stastny ’15 won the award for Best Animation for her film Snow White, Mariya Kurguzkina ’15 took the award for Best Music Video, and Queenie Zhang ’14’s video Apple received the award for Most Creative. Behind Stowe | 11
Notes from the Hill Bosba Sisombat ’15 was featured in a six-page article in Cambodia’s Ladies Magazine. Additionally, the Cambodian newspaper The Advisor published an article about an original composition that Sisombat created under the guidance of Walnut Hill faculty member Mary Koppel. The composition was included as a part of the international music festival in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. Your Best Body
By Madeline Schrock
TRX Suspension Training:
Dancer-Tested, Doctor-Approved
Walnut Hill students in a TRX suspension training class
It’s no secret dancers have special fitness needs, so it may seem surprising that new research from Walnut Hill School for the Arts recommends a workout developed not by a ballerina, but a Navy SEAL. With the help of doctors from Boston Children’s Hospital, Walnut Hill’s director of dance Michael Owen and director of physical therapy Susan Kinney
of weight training where the athlete might overdo the amount of weight and become injured, with suspension training, you work against your own body weight,” says Kinney. Plus, TRX is similar to ballet in that it gets you moving in all three planes—forward and back, up and down and side to side.
After just five weeks of suspension training, researchers saw increased strength in key muscles used in ballet technique.
Walnut Hill’s research found increased strength in dancers who took just two 45-minute classes each week for five weeks. Pre-, mid- and post-program screenings measured the strength of key muscles used in ballet. Across the board, dancers gained strength in the lower abdominals, the gluteus medias (the primary pelvic stabilizing muscle used to properly align the hips when standing on one leg) and the flexor hallucis longus (the muscle that curls the big toe and plays a large role in demi-pointe work). That’s because the exercises often take dancers off balance, involve stabilizing the pelvis and core or require the feet to be firmly planted on the floor.
The Results
The Workout In a suspension training class, participants use straps anchored to a secure point, like rigging on the ceiling, to do simple exercises meant to strengthen, correct muscular imbalances and prevent injuries. A class might include single leg extensions with the working leg looped through a strap, vertical push-ups or lifting the hips into downward dog with feet in the straps. “Unlike other forms
Try It So how can you achieve similar results? Kinney says if you take a TRX class at a gym or YMCA, it won’t necessarily be tailored to dancers. She and Owen note that Walnut Hill’s curriculum took the movement and weight distribution of suspension training and adapted it to what is helpful, healthy and safe for dancers. But Owen expects to see more dancers eventually teaching TRX in gyms. Be sure to check into an instructor’s experience before choosing a class. “If they have some sort of dance background, I think that would be ideal,” says Owen. And be on the lookout for suspension training classes exclusively for dancers: The Boston Conservatory has already launched a version of Walnut Hill’s TRX program, and the research team hopes to expand the training to other dance schools.
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April/May 2014
From left: Amanda Grazioli; Thinkstock (2)
found TRX suspension training to be a secret ingredient in injury prevention in ballet dancers. The results come after 10-plus years of study, during which the school developed a wellness program consisting of Pilates, Gyrokinesis, hydroconditioning (resistance conditioning done in a pool) and TRX suspension training to reduce stress-related injuries, like fractures, in 14- to 18-year-old pre-professional dancers. Although the other forms of cross-training helped with injury prevention, TRX produced the most dramatic results.
company called the Circle Squared Collective (www. circlesquaredcollective. She writes: “We’re a film and theater group, and we produced our first two shows last month—Embers, an original work based in storytelling theater techniques, followed up with The Laramie Project, which we opened on October 12, 2013, the 15-year anniversary of the day Matthew Shepard died. Both shows were produced and performed at CAP Studio Theater in Sherman Oaks. I am also teaching an Acting Fundamentals course for the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance at Cal State L.A., as well as Oral Communication for the Department of Communication Studies.ˮ
2001
KIM GERSON PARMER currently lives in Washington, DC, and helps direct a small contemporary ballet company, MOVEIUS Contemporary Ballet. As part of an initiative to collaborate with choreographers outside the DC area, her company is commissioning a piece by Walnut Hill classmate CONSTANTINE BAECHER. ZOE RABINOWITZ returned to the West Bank for the third time this April for a performance with Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre, a contemporary dance company based between New York and the West Bank, for which she is associate artistic director as well as a dancer. The performance, part of the Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival, took place on April 28.
2003
GREG KRAMER stopped by campus to see Heather and Ron Reid in October on his way home to New York from a hiking trip in New Hampshire. Due to some ulnar nerve problems, Greg has changed his career path, and although he still plays his cello he is now studying medicine. He completes his medical degree next year and is planning a career in ophthalmology. Greg had a great visit with the Reids, recalling all of his time in New Cottage. He passes on his best wishes to all of his former teachers.
2005
BRIGA HEELAN will star in the TBS sitcom Ground Floor for a second season this fall!
pointemagazine.com
*as seen in pointe. unauthorized duplication is prohibited.*
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Director of Dance Michael Owen and Director of Physical Therapy Susan Kinney continue to research dancer health and new techniques for injury prevention and recovery. Their work was featured in the April issue of Dance Spirit magazine and the April/May issue of Pointe magazine.
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Nicholas Hooks ’14 was the overall winner of Category 2 (ages 13+) of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School’s Baroque Woodwind Concerto Competition. Several Walnut Hill students received YoungArts recognition this year. Charles Sciascia ’14 received an honorable mention award (voice, baritone). Merit awards were given to Nicole Burke ’14 (voice, soprano),
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2002 Kelsey Miller was featured on Good Morning America in November for the Anti-Diet Project blog at www.refinery29.com. Kelsey also proudly notes that her first book, BIG GIRL, will be published by Grand Central Publishing in September 2015!
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CLASS NOTES
Notes from the Hill Yuki Hori ’14 (popular voice), Calvin Kim ’14 (music, clarinet), and Alejandro Prado ’16 (musical theatre). Two Walnut Hill students received recognition in the MetroWest Opera Competition: Charles Sciascia ʼ14 won First Place and Ben Khalil ʼ14 won Second Place.
2005 Ashley Williams (far left) is starring on Broadway in Beautiful, The Carole King Musical.
Chicago Event, March 14, 2014
LEFT TO RIGHT: Linda Paccinini ’72, Ben Bolter ’01, Emilie Leriche ’11, Katherine Nemetz ’11, JJ McGlone ’13, Alison Mahoney ’10, Amy Nelson ’07
Spring & Summer 2014
Niu Niu Zhang ’14 and Peter Fang ’12 saved the day by stepping in to perform with violinist Feng Ning at a Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts concert at Jordan Hall this January. The originally scheduled pianist was unable to attend due to travel issues, and our music students did a fantastic job of filling in on short notice. Quartet Noce (noce is Italian for “walnutˮ), coached by Laura Thielke and comprised of Drake Driscoll ’14, Joy Kuo ’14, Rose Moerschel ’15, and Sloane Wesloh ’14, performed on the popular radio program From the Top. The group also made it to the semifinal round of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association Competition, held at the University of Notre Dame in May.
Same Day, Different Sound, a personal documentary film that theater major Eduardo Maruri ’14 created in Introduction to Film class, was selected to be screened
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A YEAR IN REVIEW
Songs for a New World October 25–27
The Nutcracker December 10–21
Crimes of the Heart
November 14–17
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The Learned Ladies December 12–14
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Reckless
February 20–23
Winter Visual Art Show January 18
Anthology January 23
Spring & Summer 2014
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A YEAR IN REVIEW
Quartet Noce on From the Top March 16
Black on White April 2
Spring Repertory Aprii 10–13
The Magic Flute March 29–30
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www.walnuthillarts.org
Readings from The Blue Pencil June 1
Spring Awakening
Spring Visual Art Show
May 9–18
June 3
Honors Chamber Concert May 20
New Works May 30–31
Spring & Summer 2014
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Notes from the Hill at the Salem Film Fest this March as part of a showcase of promising student work. Several creative writing majors received recognition through the Boston Globe Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Congratulations to Maeve Benz ’17 (Silver Key, Poetry), Fiora Elbers-Tibbitts ’14 (Silver Key, Poetry), Olivia Legaspi ’15 (Honorable Mention, Flash Fiction & Personal Essay/ Memoir), Alexandra Lewis ’16 (Honorable Mention, Flash Fiction), and Paulina Ukrainets ’15 (Honorable Mention, Flash Fiction).
Visual art faculty member Lana Z. Caplan had a solo show titled Peach Blossom Spring at Gallery NAGA on Boston’s Newbury Street. Caplan’s work was supported by a Walnut Hill professional development grant. Her film HedonHeathen2 was also featured in April at the avantgarde film festival Crossroads 2014, hosted by San Francisco Cinematheque. This February, a staged reading of The Second Girl, a new play by creative writing faculty member Ronan Noone, was included in the Huntington Theatre Company’s Breaking Ground festival of new plays. A fully staged production of the play will run at Boston Center for the Arts’ Calderwood Pavilion in January and February 2015. In other news,
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KRISTIN SANCKEN curated an exhibition for House of the Nobleman at the nonprofit organization Rush Arts Gallery in NYC. The exhibition was a contemporary examination of artists who turn once-living creatures into inanimate aesthetic objects. Through various media— including painting, drawing, embroidery, sculpture, and taxidermy—the works in this exhibition re-contextualized the scientific into an artistic observation with the grotesque upheld as an object of beauty.
2006
DONALD BORROR was featured on the Columbia University website last September, talking about his switch from dancing to arts administration. JOE WALSH was featured in a New York Times article about the Houston Ballet’s Joyce Theater run this past October. KATHERINE WILKINSON’S play W.K., performed in Austin, TX, with the Vortex
RIGHT Joe Walsh ’06 dancing with Houston Ballet
Repertory Company this winter, was described by a Broadway World reviewer as “one of the most astonishing and innovative pieces of theater to come along in Austin in quite a while.ˮ
2007
PATRICK DILLON CURRY performed at the La Jolla Playhouse this past spring in the premiere of the musical Chasing the Song, from Memphis writers David Bryan and Joe DiPietro. BARRETT WEED has received a Drama Desk nomination and incredible reviews from critics on her performance in the off-Broadway run of
Heathers: The Musical this spring. Barrett stars in the leading role of Veronica in the show.
2010
PETER MILL was nominated for an IRNE (Independent Reviewers of New England) Award for his performance in Chicago last summer, up against Terrence Mann and André De Shields in his category. He also finished a run as Paul in Company at the Boston Center for the Arts’ Calderwood Pavilion in February.
RIGHT Barrett Wilbert Weed ’07 in Heathers: The Musical
San Francisco Event, April 1, 2014
LEFT TO RIGHT: Craig Smithson, Emily Schindler ’89, Barbara Smithson ’64, Shayna Bentkover ’04, Antonio Viva, Sean Waugh ’04, Julie Rubinger ’05, Cerissa Mangrum ’07, Seren Pendleton-Knoll ’05, Andrew Doupe, Jillian Kohl
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CLASS NOTES
2008 Jennifer Grout was featured in the December New York Times music section for her appearance on Arabs’ Got Talent. The article, entitled “Surprising New Face in Arabic Music,“ explained how Grout wowed the judges and other contestants with her ability to be a top-runner and the only American in this year’s competition. It read in part: “Ms. Grout’s success has inspired intense discussion in the Arab world. Since her first appearance on the show, in June, she has earned fans, skeptics and critics; the invisible chorus of social media has been busy. Her abilities are undeniable. ’You don’t speak a word of Arabic, yet you sing better than some Arab singers,’ said Najwa Karam, a popular Lebanese singer who was part of the panel that judged Ms. Grout’s performance. ’We have for so long imitated the West, and this is the first time that a person who has no link whatsoever to the Arab world, an American girl who does not speak Arabic, sings Arabic songs.’ “
Notes from the Hill his live-action short film The Accident was chosen as an official selection at the Boston International Film Festival and the Montclair Film Festival this past April. In November, voice faculty member Beth Canterbury sang in an afternoon concert at the Morse Institute Library in Natick, MA, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. Bryan Lee ’15 and Alicia Juan ’15 were chosen as finalists for the Angel Ramon Rivera Piano Competition, which took place at the Rivers School Conservatory in Weston, MA.
2013
Arlington, Virginia Event May 15, 2014
Director of Composition Whitman Brown’s new piece—then, there, and now—was performed at two concerts this spring. The duet for cello and piano was performed by former Walnut Hill music faculty member Eleanor Perrone (piano) and Ashima Scripp ’98 (cello).
SOPHIA SHAPIRO and SANI MCLAUGHLIN, both Clemson undergrads, enjoy the last home game of the season. Sani writes, “I figured this was a nice alum picture showing us enjoying sports (which is funny in itself!).“ LEFT TO RIGHT: Donna Sacco ’78, Michael McGovern ’99, Joanna Edie ’99, Kalahn Taylor-Clark ’95, Mary Ellen Stahlman ’80
Spring & Summer 2014
In early March, dance and theater faculty member Nikki Sell and her company Hyperbole Dance presented Orphans and Bastards, an evening of dance and poetry devoted to the experience of growing up adopted.
Two visual art students, Chungha Lim ’14 and Sunil Yu ’14, received Silver Key Behind Stowe | 19
CLASS NOTES
Notes from the Hill honors from the Boston Globe Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for their art portfolios. Lim also received Gold Key recognition for her painting, Gold Key recognition for a mixed-media work, and an honorable mention for one of her drawings. Yu received honorable mentions for two paintings and a work that she submitted in the Ceramics & Glass category.
Dorcas Thete ’14 received a John P. Garrahan Leadership in Diversity Award from The Alliance for MetroWest Unity and was selected as the Student Speaker on Behalf of the 2014 Awardees. Twelve Walnut Hill students, Nicole Burke ʼ14, Hana Gottlieb ʼ16, Ben Khalil ʼ14, Min-Seong Kim ʼ16, Lydia Li ʼ15, Olivia Mastorakos ʼ17, Erica Maul ʼ17, Lindsay McAuliffe ʼ15, Maddy Meyer ʼ15, Maddy Rassaby ʼ14, Charles Sciascia ʼ14, and Bosba Sisombat ʼ15, advanced to the national level of the Classical Singer competition this year. At the competition, held in San Antonio, TX in May, Nicole Burke ʼ14 was named a national finalist.
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In Memoriam
We fondly remember the following members of the Walnut Hill community. FRANCES GUTERMUTH KOERNER ’34 of Berlin, NY, passed away on October 22, 2013, in Williamstown, MA, at the age of 95. Born in Troy, NY, she was the daughter of the late Charles S. and Sarah Cowee Gutermuth. Frances lived in Berlin for most of her life. Beloved wife of the late Robert J. Koerner, she was a homemaker and was very active in the First Baptist Church of Berlin Sunday School program as well as the Berlin Free Town Library. She was an avid reader, loved her rose garden, enjoyed bird-watching, and collected owl figurines. Frances is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, her son and daughter-in-law, a grandson, a great-granddaughter, and several nieces and nephews. AROLINE PITMAN CHAPIN ’35 died peacefully in a San Diego, CA, hospice on January 1, 2014, surrounded by family. She was 95. Having spent the first half of her life in the eastern United States, Aroline moved to San Diego in the late 1960s, confessing that she never missed the harsh New England winters. Aroline’s love of travel continued into her 80s and took her to almost all of the continents and a year’s residence in both Buenos Aires and Bermuda. Her volunteer work included providing travel advice to delegates at the UN, giving patient service in local hospitals in both Greenwich and San Diego, plus helping
with Travelers Aid, which allowed her to use Spanish, her Vassar major. An avid reader, Aroline faced the challenge of rapidly failing vision about five years ago, at which point she became one of the best customers of the San Diego Braille Institute’s audiobook program. Her husband of 38 years, Scott Chapin, predeceased her. Aroline is survived by her son and daughter, three grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters. RUTH LOUISE MEISENHELDER HOWLAND ’36 passed away on April 10, 2014, at the age of 95. Also a graduate of Radcliffe College, she remained lifelong friends with those who knew her well. She met her husband, Jim Howland, while he was a grad student at MIT, and they married in 1941. Ruth earned a license as an X-ray technician and worked during World War II while her husband was with the U.S. Army in the Pacific theater. After the war, they moved back to Oregon, where she found everexpanding ways to share her gifts and her caring within family and community. Whatever she did, in public or private, Ruth brought to the task her extensive intellectual ability, her huge heart, her generosity, and her acceptance of people, no matter what class or race they happened to be. She is survived by her four children, five grandsons, and two great-grandchildren. BARBARA LEGG HEALD ’42 died on December 28, 2013, at the Collington retirement community in
Mitchellville, MD, of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was 89. Barbara grew up in New Haven, CT, and after attending Walnut Hill went on to Mount Holyoke College and the Yale School of Nursing, receiving a master’s degree in 1949. She lived in Cleveland, OH, with her family, served as a public nurse, and was active in the civil rights movement. Barbara’s husband of 64 years, Morrell Heald, died on January 3, 2014, just days after her passing. She is survived by her three children and five grandchildren, as well as her brother. EDA LOEB NEWHOUSE ’42, a resident of Scarsdale, NY, for 61 years, died on February 10, 2014. She was 88. After graduating from Walnut Hill, she attended Oberlin College, where she studied music. She had a professional career as a piano teacher and served in a variety of leadership roles with community organizations in the Westchester area. She was the founding board member of the American Jewish Committee’s Westchester Chapter and served on the women’s board of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies. Eda is survived by her sons, three grandchildren, her sister and sister-in-law, and numerous nieces and nephews. ISABEL “IZZY” GROVER RIEGEL ’44 of Fayetteville, NC, passed away peacefully on November 26, 2013, at the age of 87. A native of Syracuse, NY, she lived most of her life in the Syracuse area. Izzy
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graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in physical therapy and worked as a physical therapist during the polio epidemic, then returned to Syracuse University to earn an M.S. in education. She taught for 21 years in the FayettevilleManlius schools and touched countless lives. She embraced life and was filled with a wonder of all things. Among her favorite pastimes were learning, music, traveling, and sports (especially sailing, football, and Syracuse basketball). She cherished all people, especially her family. She was preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, Ken, and her sister. Izzy is survived by her three children and six grandchildren.
VIRGINIA S. CARNRIGHT ’46 of Saugerties, NY, and East Orleans, MA, died on January 5 , 2014, at her home. She was 86. After attending Walnut Hill, she went on to Bard College. She was a member of the League of Women Voters, a volunteer at the Saugerties Public Library, and a former member of the Rip Van Winkle Country Club in Palenville, NY. She began summering in East Orleans when she and her husband, Robert, bought a cottage there in 1970. Predeceased by her husband in 1998, she is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, her brother and sister, and several nieces and nephews.
PATRICIA WATSON SHAW ’44 died on October 24, 2013, in Boonton, NJ, where she was a resident of Victoria Mews. She was 86. She spent her early years in Springfield, IL, while her grandfather, Louis Lincoln Emmerson, served as governor of the state. After attending Walnut Hill, she went on to Northwestern University. Following World War II, she married and had two children. In 1956, she remarried and gave birth to twins. She and her second husband, Sam, were married for more than 50 years. They loved sailing in the Bahamas. Pat also had a keen interest in helping disadvantaged children. She is survived by two of her three sons and her daughter, seven grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.
PATRICIA KRUGLER JACKSON ’47 passed away on February 19, 2013, at the age of 83. Pat had been a resident of Tequesta, FL, since 1989. Born in Easton, PA, on October 14, 1929, she went on to graduate from Connecticut College after attending Walnut Hill. Pat faced life with a great joy and handled adversity with dignity and courage. She loved her children and grandchildren, spending time on the beach, swimming, reading, and playing tennis and golf. Pat was very active in the Junior League of Wilmington, DE, where she made wonderful friends while working on many beneficial programs. Pat will be very much missed by her family, friends, and loving husband of 30 years, Milton Jackson.
Spring & Summer 2014
JOAN CORY MANN ’47 passed away quietly at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital on April 15, 2013, with her family present. She was 84. She was born on November 24, 1928, in Orange County, NJ. Her many adventures included bicycling across the United States and France in the early 1950s, followed by sailing to the Galapagos Islands, Marquesas Islands, and Tahiti, where she resided for several months. She was a successful and talented artist. Joan is survived by three of her four children, three daughters-inlaw, five grandchildren, her two sisters, and a number of nieces, nephews, and godchildren. MARIAN “MOLLIE” GUILES SCHMIDT ’48, passed away at home last fall from complications of cancer. She was a mother, psychologist, writer of children’s books and poetry, and volunteer for various groups. One of her many poems reflected what she wanted others to remember of her life: She was good at details / And she persevered. / Loved bright colors / Hated shrinkwrap. / Sometimes unaware of / The feelings of others, she / Became a therapist. / Her admitted goal: / To be a mother of a large family. / She valued moderation, / But not excessively. / She valued change / But not constantly. / She lucked out with a / Wonderful life. She was predeceased by husband Jim Schmidt. She is survived by her four children, nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Notes from the Hill The Death of Minnehaha, composed by Mary Koppel, Dorm Parent and Music Department faculty member, made its East Coast premiere at the Memorial Church at Harvard University. The piece was originally written for the Michigan Recital Project. Another of Koppel’s compositions, La douce pensée, was premiered by the Lorelei Ensemble in Marsh Chapel at Boston University. Rachel Friedman ’15 received the Girls Rock Award for Health Advocacy for her incredible work with the Maine nonprofit organization Perform For A Cure, which she created to raise awareness about cancer and raise funds for community cancer programs in Maine. To date, her efforts have resulted in over $50,000 for the cause. Kori Feener’s personal documentary film about her thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, Hard Way Home, won the award for best feature at the Chattanooga Film Festival in April. Visual art faculty member Stephanie Stigliano’s prints and artist’s books were on display at Buckingham Browne & Nichols this winter in a show titled Maidens and Monsters: Prints and Books on Exhibit. ♦
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CLASS NOTES
DR. ANN MATTHEWS LACY ’49 passed away at Briarwood Healthcare Center in Needham, MA, on December 6, 2013. She was 81. Ann was born in Boston and graduated from Wellesley College (1953) and Yale University (1959), where she earned her Ph.D., making her one of the few women in the field of microbiology and genetics to earn that distinction in the 1950s. She was a department chair and professor emerita at Goucher College, where she taught biological sciences and genetics from 1959 to 1998. Ann was a feminist and an advocate for women’s rights and education, and she supported numerous organizations with her charitable giving. She was a smart, strong, pioneering woman who enjoyed the arts and sciences, nature and culture, and good pizza and beer. Ann is survived by her sisters-in-law, her nephews and nieces and their spouses, her goddaughter, and her 15 great-nieces and great-nephews. VIRGINIA “GINGER” SCOTT HEARD ’51 of Dedham and formerly Nantucket, MA, died peacefully in Boston on May 12, 2013, from complications due to kidney failure. She was 79. Ginger was active in alumni work for both Walnut Hill and Pine Manor College, and she opened and ran Benjamin Hill Ski Area and the Pool and Tennis Club in Shirley, MA, from 1961 to 1970. An outstanding member of the Nantucket community, she was a founding member of
the board of directors of the Nantucket Land Council and served on the boards of the Nantucket Civic League, Brant Point Association, Nantucket Historic Association, and Nantucket Cottage Hospital. She was the author of the book Nantucket Gardens and Houses. Ginger was predeceased by her husband of 58 years, Hamilton Heard Jr. She leaves behind three daughters and three grandchildren. JESSICA ANN (JAN) AUSTIN SQUIRES ’57 passed away on March 5, 2013, surrounded by the warmth and love of her family. She was 73. Jan was born on May 9, 1939, the second child of Reverend Eugene and Genevieve Austin, in Canandaigua, NY. In 1960, Jan was married to James W. Squires, M.D., and after several stops along the way, the couple settled in Hollis, NH, where they became active members of the community. Jan was involved with numerous organizations, including Beaver Brook Association, Friends of the Hollis Social Library, Hollis Congregational Church, and the Hollis School District. A daily swim was her idea of heaven. She also enjoyed playing cards, reading, listening to music, and spending time with her many close friends. Jan’s enthusiasm, positive spirit, and belief that each day is a precious gift enriched the lives of all those around her. She is survived by her
husband, four children and their spouses, and 10 loved and adored grandchildren. SUSAN JANE ECKSTEIN ’77, lecturer in medical ethics, novelist, and playwright, died of bone cancer in November 2013. Sue spent most of her life in England, aside from her time spent at Walnut Hill, and earned her M.A. in creative writing, arts, and education from the University of Sussex in 2002. She published many novels and plays, and had a varied and exciting career prior to becoming an academic. She worked for Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) for many years, including time spent as program manager in Bhutan and the Gambia, and back in the UK she established the highly successful Overseas Training Program. Sue’s great passion was the arts, and she passed on to a generation of students her love of poetry, literature, and film in particular. In recent years, she had suffered a degree of ill health and disability that would have ended many people’s careers. She had to undergo an above-knee amputation that should have stopped her cancer from progressing—but sadly it did not. Even this difficult topic became a source of inspiration for her new identity as a blogger. She wrote with humor and honesty right up until the week of her death, and her posts attracted attention from around the world. Sue lived a full life, with her accomplishments too many
to list in this snapshot of it. We were honored to have her write a piece for us in Behind Stowe in March 2012. Sue’s courage and inspirational words touched everyone in the larger Walnut Hill community. PAULA STOLTMANN HAND ’84 passed away peacefully on January 3, 2014. Born on June 1, 1966, she lived her life as a beloved wife, mother, and music teacher. Paula freely gave of her time and her heart. She was surrounded by friends whom she treasured and was passionate about helping others. Since she was adopted, she had a special appreciation for mothers in trouble and helped many young women through their tough times. She volunteered for several organizations including 40 Days for Life. Paula was a model and inspiration to many. She is survived by her husband and two children.
ABOVE Kristin Sancken ’05 2 2 | Behind Stowe
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SNEAK PEEK
An Insider’s View
Work is under way on our new parking area and facilities/scene shop! Enjoy a sneak peek of the process with our live construction camera by visiting
campusplan.walnuthillarts.org. From anywhere, you can see up-to-the-minute views of the worksite and watch time lapses of progress thus far.
Spring & Summer 2014
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LOOKING FORWARD
Forging Ahead: Life After the Hill by Sarah Lovely
H
aving recently completed my fourth year in the College Counseling Office at Walnut Hill, I have been reflecting a lot on the relationships that we continue to cultivate with colleges, conservatories, and universities. I also often think about what it is, exactly, that makes our students so appealing to colleges,
to visit between 10 and 20 schools each year, to educate ourselves about different opportunities, and also to inform colleges about the uniqueness of Walnut Hill. Since September 2013, we have visited such schools as Harvard University, University of Toronto, California Institute of the Arts, Oklahoma City University, School of Visual Arts, Union College, Mannes College of Music, and Columbia College Chicago, to name just a few. We are committed to forging bonds with schools beyond the “big names,ˮ because the nature of our work encourages students to find the best fit for their very individual aspirations. Therefore, we visit schools that are big, small, rural, urban, and everywhere in between, fostering relationships with colleges so that they understand us, and so that we better understand how their programs can benefit our students.
and what compels schools to want to visit our campus, meet with our students, and ultimately accept them into their communities.
The second reason why our students are increasingly open in their college searches is because they are becoming exposed to opportunities without ever having to leave Natick. From September through November of 2013, we hosted nearly 100 college admission professionals here on campus, from schools like RISD, University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, Juilliard, Princeton, Boston Conservatory, Columbia, and Vassar. Admission reps reveal to us that they are blown away by Walnut Hill and our students, from the feats they’ve accomplished to the astute questions that they ask. Our students clearly make an impact in admission pools at a wide array of schools, prompting colleges who had never visited Walnut Hill—like Middlebury, Swarthmore, and Catawba—to come to campus for the first time. A rep from one of the most selective liberal arts colleges (which this year had a less than 8% acceptance rate)
For eight years before I arrived at Walnut Hill, I worked at The Juilliard School, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and Brandeis University. The students from Walnut Hill always stood out to me as being more prepared, more mature, more reflective, and more self-motivated than the average teenager. Based on our seniors’ successes in the admission process, it is clear that representatives from a wealth of colleges are also drawn to our student body and curriculum. Over the past two years in particular, students have begun to broaden their scope of colleges, and this can largely be attributed to two factors. The first is that the College Counseling Office has made a commitment 2 4 | Behind Stowe
even admitted that Walnut Hill is his favorite school to visit in the country! In our conversations with admission folks and our college counseling colleagues, another common theme has emerged, which leads me to conclude that our students often fare better in this process than their peers at other independent schools: Colleges love our kids because they are driven to be here by their passion for the arts. They seek a depth of study and radiate a genuine enthusiasm for intense training and a devotion to personal growth. Also, unlike at many other private schools, where students sometimes enroll with coaxing from their parents and for the purpose of getting into the “best“ college, our students often have to convince their parents to let them attend Walnut Hill. This gumption is very attractive to colleges. Our students are sought after by art schools, of course, but they are also progressively more alluring to traditional colleges who want to fill their classes with engaged and impassioned young minds. Our students attend an impressive array of colleges, conservatories, and universities; for more details check out our admit list on the facing page! Our ongoing commitment to partner with institutions around the world helps families navigate the sometimes overwhelming college process and, in turn, encourages students to discover much success and happiness after graduation. We hope that this will lead to even stronger ties back to Walnut Hill for our alums! ♦
ABOVE Matilde Perez from the Fashion Institute
of Technology in New York City visits with Walnut Hill juniors in our College Counseling Office.
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Congratulations to the Class of 2014 for a Truly Impressive Acceptance and Matriculation List! Alfred University (Art & Design) Allegheny College American Academy of Dramatic Arts Arcadia University University of Arizona Art Center College of Design Bard College Berklee College of Music Boston Conservatory Boston University Bridgewater College University of British Columbia Brown University Butler University University of California at San Diego (Revelle College) University of California at Santa Cruz California College of the Arts (San Francisco) California Institute of the Arts California State University, Monterey Bay CAP21 Performing Arts Conservatory Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Catawba College Centenary College Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design Chapman University University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Cleveland Institute of Music University of Colorado at Boulder Colorado College Columbia College Chicago Connecticut College Cornish College of the Arts Curry College DePaul University Dominican University of California Spring & Summer 2014
Drew University Eastern Mennonite University Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester Eckerd College Edison State College Elizabethtown College Elon University Emerson College Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts Fairfield University Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles Fashion Institute of Technology Fisher College Florida State University Fordham University George Washington University Goucher College Greensboro College Guilford College Hamilton College, NY University of Hartford University of Hawaii at Hilo University of Hawaii at Manoa University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Indiana University at Bloomington Ithaca College James Madison University The Juilliard School Kenyon College Lasell College London College of Fashion Long Island University, Post Campus Loyola Marymount University University of Maine Manhattan College Manhattan School of Music Mannes College of Music Marquette University (College of Health Sciences) Maryland Institute College of Art
University of Maryland, College Park Marymount Manhattan College Massachusetts College of Art & Design Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts University of Massachusetts, Amherst McGill University University of Memphis University of Michigan Middlesex University Muhlenberg College New England Conservatory of Music University of New England University of New Hampshire University of New Haven The New School for Drama The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music New York Film Academy New York University Northeastern University Northwestern University Oberlin College Oberlin Conservatory of Music Oklahoma City University University of Oklahoma Otis College of Art and Design Pace University, New York City Parsons The New School for Design Parsons The New School for Design–Paris The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University Pennsylvania State University, University Park Point Park University Pratt Institute Princeton University Providence College Purchase College, State University of New York Queen’s University University of Redlands
Rhode Island School of Design Rider University Rochester Institute of Technology University of Rochester Rollins College Roosevelt University Ryerson University San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco State University Santa Clara University Savannah College of Art and Design School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of the Museum of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts Skidmore College Smith College University of South Carolina University of South Florida, Tampa University of Southern California St. John’s College State University of New York at New Paltz Suffolk University Syracuse University Texas Christian University University of Texas, Austin United States Naval Academy University at Buffalo, State University of New York The University of the Arts University of Utah Vassar College University of Vermont Wagner College Wake Forest University University of Washington (Honors Program) University of Waterloo Wesleyan University Wheaton College, MA Whittier College
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GALA
Applauding Excellence Walnut Hill hosted a capacity crowd of 253 at WGBH Studios on March 26. Alumni, parents, faculty, and friends of the School gathered to celebrate our community and artistic excellence. Comedian Christian Finnegan ’91 served as the emcee and kept guests laughing throughout the evening. Benjamin Zander accepted the Robert E. Keiter Award for Extraordinary Service with a heartfelt expression of admiration for the students who inspired him over his 35-year affiliation with Walnut Hill. Gloria Chien ’95 and Wendy Law ’96 performed a Chopin duet for piano and cello with power and passion, deftly illustrating Ben’s portrait of the remarkable students he knew here. The evening also featured student performances of Chopin, Berlin, Mozart, Bartók, and Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World. Financially, the Gala was the most successful in the School’s history: raising over $550,000 through table sponsorships, ticket sales, live auction, paddle raise, and Gala tribute gifts. Prior to the Gala, every Trustee had pledged to the Steinway Fund as well, ensuring the event’s ultimate success. As a result, Walnut Hill will purchase three new Steinway pianos this summer, bringing our fleet of Steinways purchased since 2010 to 19. Walnut Hill is well on its way to becoming an All-Steinway School! Thank you to all the alumni, parents, faculty, students, and donors who made the event an extraordinary success. We are especially grateful for the leadership of our Gala Co-Chairs, Jenny Toolin McAuliffe P’15 and Anne Morgan, and the support of the entire Gala Committee.
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Thank you to everyone who attended Gala!
OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Guests gathered in the atrium during the cocktail reception; Michael Owen, Director of Dance, Ben Gregg, Director of Studies, and Julie Faulstich, Assistant Head of School; Robin Starr, Skinner auctioneer; theater students performing Songs for a New World (Hannah Schott ’14, Lexie Lieberthal ’14, Haley Olmstead ’14, Cole Scherer ’15, Jack Dwyer ’15, Lydia Tuffy ’15) THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Antonio Viva, Head of School, and Benjamin Zander, Robert E. Keiter Award recipient; Betsy Paine McClendon ’65 and Anne Morgan; Danny Miranda, Christina Miranda, Maryann and Gerard Burdi P’15; Jim Woodside P’05, Director of Visual Art, Sandra and Kevin Delbridge P’00/’05; dance improvisation during cocktail hour; Maria Freda, Antonio Viva, and Gloria Chien ’95 Spring & Summer 2014
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GALA
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Emcee Christian Finnegan ’91; Bartók trio, (Sebastian Li ’16, George Teng ’14, Nobuo Suganuma ’14, Calvin Kim ’14); star book centerpiece from the Books as Art class; Gloria Chien ’95 and Wendy Law ’96; Betsy and Andy Kessler P’14 with Emily Kessler ’14; Tom O’Hearn, Nina Kelly, Jack Kelly, Pam Apostol Kukla ’63 2 8 | Behind Stowe
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Charles Sciascia ’14; Emily Meredith ’14 with Todd Lindamood; Jenny and Tony McAuliffe P’15 with Lindsay McAuliffe ’15; theater students’ finale performance; Simone Senibaldi ’14; live auction
Spring & Summer 2014
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ON CAMPUS
Meet Our New Trustees Trustee MOLLIE TOWER BYRNES ’63
Mollie Tower Byrnes is a lifelong community activist and philanthropist. She served on the Board of Trustees of Rockport Music in Rockport, Massachusetts, for 10 years and is now trustee emerita, and she is currently on the Board of the Essex County Community Foundation. She is also a trustee of a family foundation through which she has helped dozens of nonprofit organizations working in the areas of learning disabilities, mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and substance abuse. She lives with her husband, John, a retired high-tech executive, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where she pursues her interests in all of the arts, cooking, gardening, architecture, and travel. Having returned to Walnut Hill for her 50th Reunion in spring 2013, Mollie says of the School, “I was in awe of the strategic planning and steady growth of Walnut Hill over the years as it has transformed from an all-girls school into a very well-respected coed arts school.ˮ
JEFF FLOWERS P’17
Jeff is a serial entrepreneur and has cofounded the companies Storiant, Carbonite, Sonexis, FaxNet, and Pilot Software. His companies have created new products and processes, and he has been a leading-edge innovator in technology for over 30 years. Jeff is currently the CEO of Storiant (formerly SageCloud), a developer of cold data storage enterprise software. Prior to this position, he served as Carbonite’s Vice President of Engineering and Chief Technology Officer. Additionally, since 2000 he has been a Board Member and President of the Marblehead Counseling Center, which provides mental health services around his hometown of Marblehead. Jeff has also served since 2011 as a trustee for the Commonwealth School in downtown Boston. He leads the school’s Technology Committee and is a member of the Long Term Strategy Committee. Theater student Olivia Flowers is the youngest of Jeff’s six children. When asked why he wanted to join the Board of Trustees, Jeff responded, “I am eager to join the Walnut Hill Board because of my love for the arts, my drive to bring technology into education, the unique character of the School, and the energy of the school leadership.ˮ 3 0 | Behind Stowe
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JENNY TOOLIN MCAULIFFE P’15
Currently retired from a 25-year career in law and finance, Jenny Toolin McAuliffe last held the position of Co-Head of Fixed Income for Fidelity International based in London, where she was responsible for global research, trading, and operations. Jenny serves on the Executive Committee of both the Board of Directors of the Brookline Music School and the Board of Trustees of the Max Warburg Courage Curriculum. She is on the Board of Overseers of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and is a member of the Women’s Health Leadership Council at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is also the cofounder of the Casey Toolin McAuliffe Healthcare Fund at Harvard Business School, supporting student participation in advancing innovative approaches to healthcare delivery. Jenny holds a J.D. from Columbia University, an M.A.L.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. Most recently, Jenny served as Co-Chair of the 2014 Gala, the most successful in Walnut Hill’s history. Her daughter, Lindsay, is a theater major.
STEPHEN OLER P’13
Stephen Oler is a portfolio manager at Pyramis Global Advisors, a Fidelity Investments company. In this role, he manages the European equity portfolio of the Pyramis International Growth Strategy, and he also manages Fidelity Europe Fund for Canadian investors. Before joining Pyramis in 2005, Steve was Chief Investment Officer and Lead Portfolio Manager in the emerging markets group at Putnam Investments. During his tenure at Putnam, from 1997 to 2005, he served as a senior member of the international core group and as manager of an international equity fund. Overall, he has more than 27 years of investment industry experience. Steve earned a B.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.Phil. in international relations from King’s College at England’s Cambridge University. He came to know Walnut Hill well when his son, Steve Jr.—a percussionist who now attends Skidmore College—majored in music. As a parent, Steve experienced how Walnut Hill stands alongside the many world-class educational institutions in the Greater Boston area, an enterprise that he wanted to be a part of after his son’s graduation.
Spring & Summer 2014
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SEEN ON THE HILL
Collaboration with Stephen Burt Renowned author, poet, critic, and educator Stephen Burt spent an afternoon working with creative writing students on campus. The highlight of the session occurred when the ever-energetic Burt led the group in the collaborative composition of the opening stanzas of a sestina. Sestinas are complex poetic forms in which the end words of each line rotate throughout the poem in a set pattern. After the session, Burt worked to finish the poem and shared it with an audience at the Incredible Sestina Anthology reading in Cambridge, MA!
Broadway Actress Works with Theater Students
and performed in the ensemble and understudied Elphaba in the second national tour of Wicked.
Natalie Weiss came to campus to work with a number of our theater students on vocal improvisation techniques. Weiss recently completed a two-and-a-half-year run performing multiple roles in the ensemble of the 25th anniversary tour of Les MisĂŠrables. She has also understudied the Mennonettes in Everyday Rapture on Broadway,
A Visit from Olivier Besson Olivier Besson, faculty member of The Boston Conservatory and expert improvisational movement artist, visited the Dance Center at Walnut Hill to work with students. Trained in contact improvisation and improvisa-
tion/real-time composition, Besson has had his work presented across the United States and the world. Our dancers enjoyed working with this master to stretch their movement vocabularies.
Alumni Dancers in the Studio
Two dance alumni engaged our students in master classes in January. Levi Marsman ’05 was the first of the two visitors, teaching a modern class. A dancer and choreographer, Marsman has worked with numerous notable artists and companies, most
An Artistic Chain Effect Artist and musician Sally Taylor, daughter of James Taylor and Carly Simon, made two visits to a humanities class to work with students on an exercise related to her latest project, ConSenses. ConSenses is built upon a unique type of artistic collaboration in which artists interpret an initial work in a variety of mediums: a musician interprets a painting, a dancer interprets the resulting song, and so on. In addition to learning about the project, students participated in a chain of their own, creating and presenting their artistic responses to a song Taylor shared with them.
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Puppets and Song Courtesy of Joshua Holden ’01 The entire Walnut Hill student body and many members of our adult community enjoyed a live performance of The Joshua Show, an award-winning one-man show created and brought to life by alumnus Joshua Holden. The infectious enthusiasm that Holden, who was a part of the Broadway tour of Avenue Q, brought to the Keiter stage brightened up the campus during a cold February morning.
Ackerman—joined the Walnut Hill community for a special assembly about nutrition. Hangen spoke about proper nutrition, debunked some myths regarding fat and carbohydrates, and gave sensible advice for a balanced, healthy diet. Ackerman spoke about the effects of improper diets, specifically not eating enough.
Spreading the Written Word
Margaret Funkhouser and Kendra Levin ’00
recently assistant choreographing Philadanco’s 2013 premiere, The Big Bang. Adam Schnell ’99, currently the director of Ballet Vero Beach in Florida, taught a ballet-focused class later in the month.
Guest Speakers Talk Nutrition Two members of the Sports Medicine Department at Boston Children’s Hospital—Jan Hangen, registered dietitian and nutritionist, and Dr. Kate Spring & Summer 2014
Creative writing students had the chance to practice their craft and learn about possible career paths with a number of visiting writers this winter and spring. In January, they worked with acclaimed author Joshua Furst, known for his regular contributions to a variety of periodicals, and for his critically acclaimed book of stories Short People and debut novel The Sabotage Café. Kendra Levin ’00, senior editor at Viking Children’s Books, talked to the writers about publishing and editorial work and led them through some valuable exercises. Later in the semester, Joseph McElroy, one of America’s leading postmodern and experimental writers, led a workshop based on his story “Night Soul,” which the creative writing students had read in class. Finally, in April, award-winning poet Mary Jo Bang, author of six books of poetry, joined the students for a reading, master class, and question-and-answer session. Bang also visited an Art & Community class in the Humanities Department for a discussion on poetry, beauty, and appearance.
Inspiration from a Recent Graduate
Mi Ru Shim ’10 spent a sunny afternoon with Walnut Hill visual art students talking about her work, her path since college, and what inspires her to create. Shin showed slides and videos that documented the process behind a number of pieces that she’d created over the past four years, several of which were inspired by her love for fantasy worlds like the Harry Potter series and Transformers. Students enjoyed hearing from a recent graduate about what it’s like to make art and navigate the journey after leaving Walnut Hill.
Judith Weir Kicks Off NEC Residency
As the kickoff to her residency at New England Conservatory, composer Judith Weir offered a master class with NEC Preparatory School student chamber music groups in Boswell Hall. Weir is known locally for two pieces commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra: Music Untangled and Natural History. Among her other accomplishments, she received Lincoln Center’s Stoeger Prize for chamber music composition in 1997 and Britain’s Queen’s Medal for Music in 2007. Behind Stowe | 33
Thank you to everyone who visited for Alumni Weekend! Friday, May 9: Welcome Reception
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Nat LeTreize ’04, Ashley Landroche ’04, Jimmy Fowlie ’04, Kyle Brown ’04; Holly Worthington, Firkins Reed; Melinda Sarkis ’89, Jason Ward ’89, Justine Hand ’88; Jim Woodside, Luke Rothschild ’89, Ed Armendia ’89, Sue Beebee, Antonio Viva; Carrie Nedrow ’84, Susan Dennison ’84, Stacey Rahm ’84, Jennifer Jewiss ’84, Jennifer Fink ’84; Nancy Van Doren ’64, Richard Van Doren, Betsy McClendon ’65; Alejandro Ibarra DeLlano ’92, Benny Ibarra DeLlano ’89 3 4 | Behind Stowe
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ALUMNI WEEKEND
Saturday, May 10: Registration, Alumni Lecture, Master Classes, Luncheon, Student Performances, Class Photos
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Jennifer Cafarella ’94, Jillian Kohl, Heather Reid; Heather Ward, Emily Weissman Schindler ’89, Jason Ward ’89; Ashley Landroche ’04, Sarah Chasin ’04, Melissa Cassel, Jimmy Fowlie ’04, Kyle Brown ’04; Nancy Fenton ’64, Luke Rothschild ’89, Richard Van Doren; Angela Smith ’79, Katie Switzer Pelletier ’79; Sean Lammer ’15, Jennifer Cafarella ’94 Spring & Summer 2014
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Alejandro Ibarra DeLlano ’92, Ed Armendia ’89, Ron Reid, Benny Ibarra DeLlano ’89; Robin Griffey ’79, Quinn Griffey; Antonio Viva; Jennifer Jewiss ’84, Siobhan O’Neill ’84, McKenzie Van Oss ’14, Robert Adler, Jasper Adler-O’Neill, Raphael Adler-O’Neill, Stacey Rahm ’84, Corey Colper ’84, Bryce McAllister ’14; Rich Taylor ’94, Jeremy Conn ’94, Sabreena Kiviat Kropp ’94, Melanie Elms ’94, Courtney Greene ’94, Jennifer Cafarella ’94, Alexandra De Collibus ’93; Anthony Ra ’16, Lena Skeele ’15, Patrick Kyle ’16, Rachel Ravel ’15, Daria Ilina ’14, Fiora Elbers-Tibbitts ’14, Lindsay McAuliffe ’15, Caleb Smith ’16; Ron and Heather Reid recipients of the Non Nobis Solum Award 3 6 | Behind Stowe
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ALUMNI WEEKEND
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT 2004: (back row) Nat LeTreize, Jimmy Fowlie, Annie Moor, Kyle Brown, Ashley Landroche, Sam Trussell, (front row) Sarah White-Stern, Daria Kalinina, Sarah Chasin, Pam Rice; 1989: Benny Ibarra DeLlano, Charmian Stewart, Emily Weissman Schindler, Kristin Bell, Ed Armendia, Alejandro Ibarra DeLlano ’92, Luke Rothschild; 1984: Carrie Nedrow, Jennifer Jewiss, Lissa Loucks, Corey Cowper, Siobhan O’Neill, Jennifer Fink, Stacey Rahm; 1949: Sue Yeaw, Judy Jaworek; 1964: Nancy Van Doren, Judy Liss, Jane Gilday, Barbara Smithson, Nancy Fenton; 1979: Carol Brayboy, Angela Cox Smith, Katie Switzer Pelletier, Sue Higgins Conrad, and Laurie McCool Collins Spring & Summer 2014
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Congratulations to the Class of 2014
“
Our job is not to live successful lives, but to live authentic lives,” he shared. “I write because if I don’t write, I won’t be me anymore.
”
—Andre Dubus III, Keynote Speaker
W
alnut Hill was thrilled to have New York Times bestselling author and distinguished writer Andre Dubus III speak at Graduation on Saturday, June 7.
Dubus has written several books, including The Cage Keeper and Other Stories, Bluesman, House of Sand and Fog (later made into an Academy Award–nominated film starring Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly), The Garden of Last Days, Dirty Love, and his memoir Townie. His art has been recognized with a number of awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Magazine Award for Fiction, two Pushcart Prizes, and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature. Though he was never on the faculty at Walnut Hill, and we can’t claim him as an alum (he would have been a stupendous Walnut!), this is most certainly not his first encounter with the School. In fact, both Dubus and his father, much-celebrated American short-story writer, essayist, and autobiographer Andre Dubus, made several visits to the Hill to guest lecture or teach master classes in the Writing Studio during Jessie Schell’s tenure as Head of Creative Writing. To read more, please visit graduation2014.walnuthillarts.org.
TOP Andre Dubus III delivering keynote address at Graduation on June 7, 2014 BOTTOM Graduating Class of 2014 3 8 | Behind Stowe
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GRADUATION
Award Winners: ARNOLD C. TAYLOR AWARD FOR ACADEMIC AND ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT: FIORA ELBERS-TIBBITTS HESTER R. DAVIES CITIZENSHIP CUP AWARD: EMILY KESSLER FRIENDSHIP AWARD: EMILY KESSLER CATHY T. CHAN AWARD: BOSBA SISOMBAT JOANNA RAPPAPORT ʼ96 AWARD: CIARA WRIGHT
ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Senior cap; faculty and seniors
walking to Natick Center; seniors inside the First Congregational Church at Commencement; Rae Arseneau and Anne Murphy; Antonio Viva, Andre Dubus III, Betsy McClendon RIGHT Celebrating post–Awards
Ceremony: Fiora Elbers-Tibbitts ʼ14, Emily Kessler ʼ14, Antonio Viva, Bosba Sisombat ʼ15, Ciara Wright ʼ14
Spring & Summer 2014
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SEEN O F F T H E H IL L
Walnuts Hit the Road
Walnuts have been spotted making art and doing good all over New England! Here is just a small sampling of the places we’ve been lately:
September
February
At the end of April, a number of voice students performed at the annual Earth Day event on the Natick Common.
May
Voice students also shared their talents with attendees at the Arts|Learning Symposium at Lesley University in early May. The Walnut Hill Community Service Association, led by club head Lindsay McAuliffe ’15, worked with the Natick Police Department to decorate and distribute 150 bicycle helmets to local children at Natick Days. More than 40 members of the Walnut Hill community assisted in this effort!
The cast of Freckleface Strawberry: The Musical, directed by Production and Events Manager Mike Bucco, toured their high-energy, family-friendly production to Lilja Elementary School, Memorial Elementary School, and The Center for Arts in Natick.
October
Music student Chris RogersBeadle ’15 made several visits to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for a music outreach program organized by From the Top. He and the other students involved put together programs of music and played live in the lobby of the center to reduce patient stress during treatment visits.
Mara Wilson ’14 performed a live musical theater number for the Natick Service Council’s annual telethon fundraiser, broadcast on local access television.
December
Music student Drake Driscoll ’14 performed at an event in Boston honoring the late Eric Oddleifson, a former Walnut Hill Trustee.
March
April
Thirteen student musicians, accompanied by Director of Chamber Music Laura Thielke, performed a concert for the Natick Women’s Club meeting in December at Fisk Memorial United Methodist Church.
January
A Walnut Hill chamber group and theater students Mara Wilson ’14 and Kat Ward ’14 performed at Wayland High School’s annual Winter Festival.
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Music students Yuri Ahn ’17 (cello), Abigail Keefe ’15 (violin), Ariel Lee ’15 (violin), Colin Roshak ’14 (clarinet), and Teal Vickery ’14 (viola) performed a clarinet quartet by Mozart at the Harvard Vanguard Medical Center in Kenmore Square to provide enjoyment and relaxation to patients, staff, and visitors. The quintet also did an outreach performance at Rockport Middle School, as part of a series of visits to Rockport public schools by Walnut Hill student musicians.
Junior Class President Justin Showell ’15 and a group of his fellow juniors volunteered at a service event in Needham, Massachusetts. They, along with other volunteers, helped to sort donated clothing and school supplies to be distributed to underresourced pre-kindergarten students through the organization Cradles to Crayons.
www.walnuthillarts.org
Home is where the heart is. It isn’t a house or a single point on a map, it is a feeling, a condition.
AF.WALNUTHILLARTS.ORG
Spring & Summer 2014
Home is wherever people love you and welcome you as you are.
home, providing support for financial aid, faculty salaries, art materials, costumes, music stands, utilities, laptops, musical accompanists, guest artists, and much more.
Walnut Hill is home to nearly 300 young artists every year. And the Annual Fund is what warms that
Make your gift to the Annual Fund today by visiting AF.walnuthillarts.org
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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage
PAID
Natick, MA Permit #23 12 Highland St. | Natick, MA 01760
FROM THE ARCHIVES Students gather in a Stowe dorm room in 1953. As we celebrate our 120th Anniversary, see page 8 to read about Walnut Hill’s history.
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